Electric razor with a shear plate having different types of shearing sections movable into shearing position



June 30, 1964 RESSLER 3,138,866

ELECTRIC RAZOR WITH A SHEAR PLATE HAVING DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHEARING SECTIONS MOVABLE INTO SHEARING POSITION Filed June 4, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 OaOOI MM mmu "um oonooonlubooo ooo u \D N N N Cl 0 M O 0 W F u: M E D Y 5 KN E W K 3 CA R M N E A IICL A EA 3 H M 0 U U L. 3 3

W 2 I m m F M d v w I 1 B m .3 x 1 F pun/ v 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L. RESSLER OF SHEARING SECTIONS MOVABLE INTO SHEARING POSITION Fag L ELECTRIC RAZOR WITH A SHEAR PLATE HAVING DIFFERENT TYPES June 30, 1964 Filed June 4, 1962 United States Patent M ELECTRIC RAZOR WITH A SHEAR PLATE HAV- ING DIFFERENT TYPES (OF SHEARING SEC- TIONS MOVABLE INTO SHEARING POSITION Lloyd Ressler, 19 St. Stephens Close, Avenue Road,

London, England Filed June 4, 1962, Ser. No. 199,679 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 14, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 30-43) This invention relates to mechanical razors of the kind having movable blade means and a thin flexible perforated sheet which overlies the blade means. This sheet is called in the art a foil head. In operation of the razor hairs which penetrate the perforations are shaved off by the movement of the blade means.

A mechanical razor, according to the present invention, comprises a body, movable blade means mounted on an upper part of and extending laterally of the body, a flexible band mounted in and extending from front to rear of the body over the blade means and having a plurality of transverse sections each adapted to constitute a foil head, and means for moving the band longitudinally so as selectively to bring the sections each to a position over the blade means.

The flexible band preferably includes a plurality of transversely extending, perforated sections, the size of the perforations differing as between the different sections.

Suitably, further transverse sections of the band are formed with apertures through which the razor may be cleared of shavings.

An imperforate section of the band may be included so as to provide a guard for the blade means when the razor is not in use.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the razor with parts broken away to illustrate details of the construction;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the razor in section along the line II-I[ of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the razor in section along the line III-III of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the flexible band.

Referring to FIGURES l-3, the razor includes a housing having side walls 10, a top 11, a bottom 12, and front and rear walls 13, 14. The housing contains an electric motor 5, and the front wall 13 is conveniently made removable to give access to the motor. To this end side edges of the wall 13 engage in grooves formed in facing surfaces of the walls 10.

The motor can be connected to a source of electric current through a socket 6 in a side wall 10, the socket having pins adapted to receive a plug.

The motor is connected so as to drive blade means 15 which extend laterally of the housing above the top 11 between abutments 16 which extend upwardly from side walls 10. The blade means comprise a large number of parallel cutter elements 15a which extend from front to rear of the blade means and the latter are mounted on the motor so as to reciprocate laterally when the motor is operated. Alternative blade means of the rotary reciprocating type may, if desired, be employed.

Interchangeable foil heads for the blades are provided, as shown in FIGURE 4, on a flexible continuous band 17 having a number of laterally extending sections. Three sections 18, 19 and 20 constituting different foil heads for the blade means are formed with respective fine, medium, and coarse perforations and each of these sections is of different thickness formed by grinding the hand down from its maximum thickness to the thickness 3,138,866 Patented June 30, 1964 required at each section. Thus, for example, if the maximum thickness of the band is .004 inch, sections 18, 19 and 20 may be ground to respective thicknesses of .0015, .002 and .0025 inch. A section 21 of the band is formed with narrow, laterally extending apertures, another section 22 adjacent section 21 is formed with no apertures while a further section 23 adjacent section 22 is formed with a single, broad, laterally extending aperture. The band is completed by end sections 24, 25 and by flexible strips 26 each terminating in a spring 27 having a hook 28, one strip projecting longitudinally from each side edge of end section 24. Two eyes 29 complementary with hooks 28 are provided on end section 25.

The band is fitted round the housing to lie along the front, the floor, and the back thereof and to cover the blade means 15, and each hook 28 is engaged in the corresponding eye 29 so as to urge the band resiliently and lightly onto the blades. The band can thus be moved longitudinally of the housing, while it is restrained from movement laterally of the housing by shoulders 30, 31 formed in the side Walls 10 at the front and rear respectively thereof.

The flexible band is encased by an outer casing 32 conforming to the front, floor and back of the housing, which is engaged over the housing and the band to leave exposed the part of the band covering the blades. The outer casing is secured in place by screws 40 at the front and rear of the razor.

So that the band can be moved beneath the casing 32, a finger knob 33 is connected to the band by a stem 34 which projects upwardly from end section 24 through a slot 35 in the outer casing 32.

By means of the knob 33 the band 17 may be moved so as to bring any desired section to a position where it covers the blade means 15 and so constitutes a foil head, thus making it possible to have a shave of desired closeness by using an appropriately perforated section, 18, 19 or 20 over the blade means. After use of the razor the knob 33 can be moved to bring section 21 over the blade means.

In this position of the band, running of the motor effects expulsion from the razor of shavings collected beneath the band to an extent sufiicient for routine cleaning of the razor. Periodically, a more effective cleaning can be accomplished by bringing section 23 of the band over the blade means and inverting the razor to expel the shavings.

When the razor is not in use the knob 33 is positioned to bring the imperforate guard section 22 of the band over the blade means.

The razor is provided with an internal switch which ensures that the motor is cut out when the band is located with section 23 or guard section 22 over the blade means. Instead of relying on friction between the knob 33 and casing 32 to locate the band 17 and prevent longitudinal movement thereof, means may be provided for temporarily securing any desired section over the blades: for example, the underside of knob 33 may be provided with a spring-loaded ball able to engage recesses in the outer casing.

On the front wall of the casing alongside the slot 35 are legends corresponding to the several sections of the band. As each section in turn is brought over the blades, the knob 33 against the corresponding legend indicates which section is in position.

The legends may also indicate of each section whether, when the section is over the blades, the motor can be switched on or is cut out.

It will be appreciated that the invention provides a razor the shaving action of which can be varied readily to suit individual needs. Also the razor may be cleaned without dismantling. Further no separate guard is required to protect the blade means. These advantages are achieved in a construction which is compact, functional and inexpensive.

I claim:

1. An electric razor comprising a body having spaced apart front and rear walls, movable blade means mounted on an upper part of the body, a flexible longitudinally movable band disposed within the body extending transversely between opposite sides of the body and extending longitudinally along front and rear walls thereof and over the blade means, a plurality of transverse apertured sections formed in the band and each adapted to constitute a foil head for the blade means, and means for moving the band longitudinally within the body so as selectively to bring the sections of the band each to an operative position over the blade means.

2. A razor as set forth in claim 1, in which the band includes a plurality of transversely extending sections each formed with shaving perforations, the perforations of one section being of different size from the perforations of the other sections, said band also including a further section formed with aperture means of a size substantially greater than that of the perforations of the perforated sections whereby, when the blade means are operated with the further section of the band disposed thereaoove, shavings collected about the blade means may be expelled from the razor through the aperture means.

3. A razor as set forth in claim 1, in which the band includes a plurality of transversely extending sections each formed with shaving perforations, the perforations of one section being of different size from the perforations of the other sections, and each section being of different thickness from other sections.

4. A razor as set forth in claim 1, having means conmeeting the ends of the band resiliently so as to urge the band lightly against the blade means.

5. A razor as set forth in claim 4, in which the body has an inner housing and an outer casing, the housing and the casing being spaced apart to define a track, the flexible band being longitudinally movable within the track.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lussier June 17, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,059,799 Germany June 18, 1959 

1. AN ELECTRIC RAZOR COMPRISING A BODY HAVING SPACED APART FRONT AND REAR WALLS, MOVABLE BLADE MEANS MOUNTED ON AN UPPER PART OF THE BODY, A FLEXIBLE LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE BAND DISPOSED WITHIN THE BODY EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BODY AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG FRONT AND REAR WALLS THEREOF AND OVER THE BLADE MEANS, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE APERTURED SECTIONS FORMED IN THE BAND AND EACH ADAPTED TO CONSTITUTE A FOIL HEAD FOR THE BLADE MEANS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING THE BAND LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN THE BODY SO AS SELECTIVELY TO BRING THE SECTIONS OF THE BAND EACH TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION OVER THE BLADE MEANS. 